Napoli hold initial talks for Feyenoord’s Igor Paixao | OneFootball

Khvicha Kvaratskhelia gained an almost demigod-like status at Napoli, a lot of which has subsequently disappeared by him leaving for PSG this January, in the middle of a season where Napoli are chasing a league title.

But it is important to move on and the club have seemingly identified a replacement – Feyenoord’s Igor Paixao. As per Il Mattino (via arenanapoli.it), he has been on the list of both manager Antonio Conte and Sporting Director Giovanni Manna. The 24-year-old is known for his electric dribbling but his end product is also good. This season so far, Paixao has 8 goals and 11 assists in all competitions. He exploded in Brazil for Coritiba and was signed by Feyenoord in 2022 for €4.5m. Signing him from the Dutch club would be expected to cost around €35m. Napoli at this point are expecting to be offering around €25m. The signs are positive though, with reports of intermediaries of the player arriving in Naples recently. If he does arrive, he will compete with fellow Brazilian David Neres for the left wing position. Paixao’s advantage is the he can play on either wing or as a second striker or attacking midfielder. While the Brazilian is the prime candidate to arrive, Manna is touring all over Europe scouting players. The option of Alejandro Garnacho has now been discounted despite talks in January, as the Neopolitan club were reportedly put of by the attitude of the Argentine winger’s entourage.Kaulik Mitra | GIFN